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- Work history (impact, revenue gained, new processes, etc.)
- Specific skills demonstrated
- Work gaps (candidates should be able to explain these)
- Moments of leadership, initiative, or collaboration
- Promotions or career shifts
- Errors in the CV
There are some red flags to look out for when reviewing CV’s:
- Employment gaps: if a candidate properly explains a gap, no problem. If not, this is a major oversight.
- No upward movement. A long career with no upward trajectory could indicate a candidate lacks motivation.
- Typos or other errors. Errors can indicate a lack of attention to detail or care. Candidates should proofread CV’s relentlessly.
- Job-hopping. There’s nothing wrong with regularly switching jobs. But too many employers in a short period (a few years) could indicate a lack of commitment. You don’t want to take the time and expense to onboard someone only to have them leave in a few months.
They are looking for tailored messaging that is relevant to the company and role.
Whether employers use an applicant tracking system or not, they will look for relevant keywords when reviewing resumes. These are words or phrases specific to the role. Candidates should make these easy to find. You can find them in the job description.
Buzzwords are essential to a great CV because they help demonstrate impact. However, excessive jargon and buzzwords can be designed to make a candidate sound qualified in place of actual qualification.
Some buzzwords and power words include:
- Communicated
- Achieved
- Created
- Increased
- Managed
- Experienced
- Improved
- Decreased
- Utilised
- Responsible for
If candidates use more than one of these per line in a CV, that’s too much. If the resume feels stuffed with these words, that’s a bad sign.
Employers are on the lookout for this when reviewing CV’s. – in no particular order….
Contact Info & Appearance
- Free of grammar and spelling errors
- Contact info at the top and updated
- Appropriate formatting (font, size, margins)
- One page
Summary
- Included
- Evidence of experience or interest
- Does this match the skillsets required for the job
Education
- Listed correctly with college, date, and qualifications
- Does this educational background enhance the candidate’s qualifications
Professional Experience
- Are experiences listed in reverse chronological order
- Are the correct sections included (title, employer, location, month/year)
- Is applicable information under each header listed with bullet points
- Is the past tense used for prior experience
- Is present tense used for the current job
- Does this work experience demonstrate impact, leadership, initiative, collaborative skills, or anything else relevant to the job
- Are there employment gaps, and are they explained somewhere
Other Possible Sections
Are any of the following included, and do they enhance candidacy? These are not necessary but may be relevant for particular roles:
- Research
- Technology
- Certifications
- Languages
- Professional associations
- Travel/interests/volunteering